Project Summary: Search for Common Ground is a consortium member of the Afghanistan Accountability Initiative led by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and funded by USAID. This 3 year project was launched in September 2019 with an overall objective that Afghan civil society is more effective and self-reliant and derives its authority from Afghan citizens, channels their demands and holds duty bearers responsible.
Working with a number of Afghan NGOs, the consortium aims to promote CSO accountability to the public and to support CSOs in deriving their authority and influence from constituencies of citizens, to whom they are accountable. The consortium achieves this by piloting three products which cumulatively and individually contribute to a more influential and sustainable civil society sector that can channel citizen’s demands and holds government accountable; 1) Bottom Up Design Thinking; 2) Seal of Trust Accountability Certification; and 3) Marketing and Business Support Social Enterprise for Afghan CSOs. These concepts target critical systemic junctures which the consortium has identified as strategic entry points for pushing systemic change in Afghanistan’s civil society ecosystem.
Search’s role in the consortium is specifically to ensure conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm principles are applied in the development and piloting of these products. This is achieved through ongoing technical review and advisory functions, as well as training and capacity building for project partners on conflict sensitivity, Do No Harm principles, the Common Ground Approach, and facilitation techniques.
Project Outcomes:
- Afghan citizens supported by targeted Afghan NGOs have increased say over the aid they receive
- Targeted Afghan NGOs institutionalize downward accountability ‘infrastructure’
- Targeted Afghan NGOs diversify their funding
- A heightened discourse on downward accountability forms in the Afghan civil society sector and Afghan society